


Missing your touch

by Penguin_Massacre



Series: Modern Merthur AU [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Don’t copy to another site, Fluff, I Tried, M/M, Merlin is an Archaeologist, Modern Era, Touch-Starved, his struggle is my struggle, they really miss each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 14:23:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20448560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penguin_Massacre/pseuds/Penguin_Massacre
Summary: It's been too long since Merlin and Arthur have seen each other in person. They miss each other terribly but the worst is the touch starvation. Their jobs keep them apart so they have to wait even longer to finally be in each others arms again...or maybe not?Written for arthur-of-the-pendragons's Merthur Touch Fest!





	Missing your touch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arthur_pendragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthur_pendragon/gifts).

> This is unbetaed but I hope I didn't make too many mistakes. Maybe this came out a little rushed in the end but the heat is just killing me... at least we finished it lads, right?
> 
> I hope you enjoy it anyways!

It was hard. Going from days of constant physical contact to no contact at all was so hard. Merlin had expected it. He and Arthur had even lightly joked about it. And yet he still was so very unprepared. 

He was unprepared for the intense longing that set in not even minutes after he left in his car. 

He was unprepared for the twitching of his hands which yearned to just hold Arthur’s. 

He was unprepared for the restless nights because in just a short time he had come accustomed to a warm body beside him holding him close.

He was unprepared for the craving of Arthur’s touch.

It was suffocating.

The first days after he had left Arthur’s flat had been the worst. He had felt weary and outright anxious. Not even phoning Arthur had helped much. The moment they were talking everything felt fine, but the moment the call ended the feelings came back. Sometimes even worse than before.

Merlin now fully understood the couples that hated to be apart for a longer amount of time. Heck he had already decided that being away from Arthur for more than a day was complete torture.

It made him cranky. He tried to not let it show at work. But sometimes he would need some time to himself. Especially when Gwaine teased him that he was behaving like a 14 year old with his first boyfriend. 

Sometimes he really could slap his friend. But then at the end of the day he would drag him to his home, put on a movie that he usually wouldn’t watch but knew Merlin liked and tried his best to cheer him up because he “couldn’t bare watching him mope”. 

Maybe Gwaine deserved some rights after all. Merlin really was glad to have such an amazing friend at his side.

After about 2 weeks the worst of the drop was overcome. Merlin still felt the intense longing to be with Arthur, but it was nearly at the same level as before his visit. He also had an easier time falling asleep at night as well. He felt less like suffocating and more like being in thinner air now. It was manageable. He still felt touch starved and missed Arthur terribly though.

Hosting an archaeology camp for children was the perfect distraction for Merlin’s mind. Teaching kids how to excavate, or more like giving them little tasks at the site they couldn’t muck up, was fun. Even if he sometimes he had to stop them from fighting each other with the tools. 

The children, just like Merlin himself, loved working in the dirt. But that’s not all they did. They would also visit museums. Those days Merlin would be reminded of his time with Arthur at the Natural History Museum and how his hand had felt in his. Merlin really missed Arthur’s hands, heck he missed all of Arthur! But then one of the kids would come up and ask him a question about the exhibit and distract him from spiraling down again. 

These kids really were a marvel. And watching them try and bury Gwaine under some excavation material (even though they shouldn’t do that) was extremely hilarious. His friend moped for the rest of the day that the children had conspired against him even though he was the cool supervisor.

After the archaeology camp Merlin found himself at a very busy excavation site which dated in the roman period. They had to excavate the entire site in a short timeframe because of a street that was going to be built there which would destroy everything. They had to put in long hours and at the end of the day Merlin would find himself falling into his bed. His calls with Arthur were cut short. 

He missed Arthur even more during that time. 

He missed his laugh.

He missed his sarcastic comments.

He missed his hands in his.

He missed his body pressed against his side.

He missed his kisses.

At least he slept well because he was so exhausted from the day.

Soon it was nearly 2 months after Merlin had seen Arthur in person and he was slowly crawling out of his skin. But summer always was the busiest time of the year with all the excavations he was working at. Sometimes he hated his job. Other people went on vacation while he was carrying around buckets of dirt.

Arthur would be on vacation with his sister the next few weeks too, Merlin knew. He would be even further away then. And they probably wouldn’t even be able to talk much in those 3 weeks since Arthur would be in America and the time difference would be hard on them both. 

The already short cut conversations with Arthur turned into nearly non existing ones.

And Merlin had thought shit was hard before! I didn’t know that you could miss one person so much.

  
  
  
  


After about a week and a half of nearly no contact Merlin sat on the couch in his accomodation when someone rang the doorbell. Weird, Merlin thought. Usually he doesn’t get visitors except for Gwaine. But his friend had told him that he didn’t have time this evening to hang out. Maybe he was done with whatever he had to do and decided to spent some quality bro time since it was a friday night.

He got up and opened the door and startled so hard he nearly slammed it shut again. He didn’t move at all and stared. The shock had to be written on his face clearly.

“I actually expected to be squeezed in the tightest hug and my face peppered in kisses and not you standing there just staring.”, Arthur teased and that’s what brought Merlin out of his stupor. He ran into Arthur’s arms so hard that he nearly pushed him over.

“Oh my god Arthur I can’t believe you’re actually here! I missed you so much!”, he yelled into Arthur’s ear and did just like Arthur requested: He hugged him so tight that it was hard to breathe and started peppering kisses all over Arthur’s face.

He started with his right cheek, then the left, then his forehead. He pressed kisses to each of Arthur’s eyelids and his cute nose and then his chin. And finally finally finally, after all these hard months, he pressed his lips to Arthur’s. Hard. It left the both of them breathless even though it was just a short kiss. Merlin might have longed for Arthur for months, but they were still out in the open. So after indulging just a little bit Merlin pulled Arthur inside of the flat by his waist, nearly leaving the luggage in front of the door.

After throwing the bags to the side carelessly and discarding his shoes Merlin pulled Arthur into the living room and pushed him down onto the couch only to follow him instantly and crawl into his lap. He cupped Arthur’s face in his hands, staring at him with the biggest smile on his face.

“I still can’t believe that this is real and that you’re actually here.”, he nearly whispered and gently caressed Arthur’s cheekbones. Then he leaned down again and pressed some more soft kisses onto his boyfriend’s mouth.

In the meantime Arthur’s hands had found their place on Merlin’s hips, his thumbs gently digging into the warm skin that was hidden underneath soft fabric.

“Me neither”, Arthur breathed against Merlin’s lips. “I missed you so much, every day away from you was pure torture.”, he confessed and then started peppering butterfly kisses all over Merlin’s face which earned him a soft laugh.

“Me too. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take it. Especially with the sparse contact the last few weeks.”

Merlin brought up his hands to the shells of Arthur’s ears and started caressing them softly. Arthur leaned into the touch and closed his eyes humming in content.

“At least I’m here now. And I’m here to stay for two weeks before I have to go back.”

Merlin pressed another kiss to Arthur’s mouth smiling.

“That’s great but I still have to work.”, he said a bit rueful. Then a thought hit him. “Wait how did you find me anyways? I never told you the address I’m staying at?”

Arthur laughed at the question.

“Gwaine messaged me. He was, and I quote, sick of your moping.”

Merlin buried his face in Arthur’s neck.

“On one hand I’m very thankful, but on the other hand I kinda want to strangle him a bit. I wasn’t moping. I was just...a bit uncontent.”, he murmured into the skin.

Arthur brought up his hands to Merlin’s hair and stroked it down to the nape of his neck.

“It’s OK to admit. I was moping too. I was moping so hard it really got on Morgana’s nerves and she threatened to throw me of the boat if I didn’t go and visit you this instant.”

Merlin couldn’t suppress his laughter.

“Yeah that really sounds like her. But I’m very happy you missed me just as much, even though you nearly got thrown off a boat.”

Arthur hugged Merlin tighter to his chest.

“Yeah.”

They sat on the couch snuggling and kissing from time to time for a bit longer until Merlin got up.

“I really need to take a shower and then eat something.”

Arthur blinked at the retreating back of his boyfriend dumbfounded until he turned back at him.

“Want to join me?”

Arthur got up immediately and ran after Merlin to the bathroom.

  
  
  


Clean and with a full stomach they got into bed a few hours later. Arthur wasn’t really tired yet but Merlin was about to fall asleep. He had to get up at 5am so he had to go to bed accordingly. He didn’t want to be too tired at work. And now that he had his arm thrown over his boyfriends middle he was sure he’d get a good night's sleep. It was always so easy to fall asleep pressed into his boyfriends side.

“Are you going to visit me tomorrow at the site?”, he murmured into Arthur’s shoulder. He really wanted to show him what he was working on. And maybe introduce him and Gwaine in real life. He was sure they’d get along well.

“Yeah sure. I always wanted to see you at work.”, he heard the smile in Arthur’s voice. It made him happy he was interested in what he was passionate about.

“Nice.”, he said and snuggled closer. “I hope you won’t be bored too bad when I’m out cold in about a minute.”

Merlin felt one of Arthur’s hands in his hair stroking it slowly.

“How can I when I’m lieing right next to the most beautiful man on earth?”, Arthur whispered and pressed a chaste kiss against Merlin’s forehead.

“Sap.”

And with that Merlin fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> For everyone that wanted 'You're my Best Friend' to be turned into a series I hope you're not disappointed.


End file.
